Lock Screen Text, we know what you're thinking - just another lock screen app, right? Well, this is a little different than the status quo. Instead of publishing the weather forecast, or displaying the Nyan Cat, Lock Screen Text enables users to input their own text, which is then rendered on the Windows Phone lock screen.

Developed by Gabriel Caldwell, the brains behind NASA Image of The Day, the app is a useful tool if you need to add some notes to remind yourself with. Don't make use of a calendar or task keeper? Lock Screen Text might just be for you with the text field for input. Emoticons, secret messages, to-do lists, love notes and more can be added in.

LockStream is about 75% of the way there as it has this feature along with skydrive support, and local photo support. the next version i am told has rss / flicker support. weather support is also suspose to be coming...

I've just always had this idea of layered lock screen apps. I'm not sure how it would work but it would kind of be like layering in photoshop but with lock screen apps. There's just so many apps with good features, and I would like to use more than one at a time.

I've been using this app for over a week now. I use the Bing images as well and the two work well together. I worry about losing my 822 so the text message tells the finder who to call to get it back to me. Best use I could think of.

Re device lost, that's exactly what I'll be using this for. Interestingly, Windows Mobile had the feature built into the OS that allow you to display custom message on screen; I had one of those "if found..." messages on every one of my PDAs back then.
I've mentioned this before, sad how Windows Phone 7 loses capabilities that were in Windows Mobile and then Windows Phone 8 loses capabilities that are in 7. Seems like Microsoft is determined to forever keep moving two steps forward and one step back when it comes to mobile devices.

You can do this on windowsphone.com by logging in and going to "Find My Phone" from the menu at the top right. When you click "Lock" you can choose to type a custom message that will display on the screen and prevent anyone from accessing the contents of your phone until it is returned to you and you unlock it.

I have a BlackBerry currently (waiting on Verizon to get a high end WP8 and my contract to end) and they have this functionality built in. I have my name address and home phone on the lock screen just in case it's lost and happens to end up in the hands of an honest person. So far, I haven't had to test it though.

You can do this via windowsphone.com. Login, go to "Find My Phone" from the menu at the top right, choose "Lock", and type a custom message. That'll keep the space free for a different lock screen app (like calendar) but also let you potentially recover your phone when it gets lost.